Clothes-protector.



0, E. FITZGERALD. CLOTHES PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. 19l5.

Patented Dec. 12,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I- D. E. FITZGERALD.

CLOTHES PROTECTOR. APPucATiou mp0 FEB. 25. 191-5.

Patented Dec. '12; 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL E. FITZGERALD, 0F ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA.

CLOTHES-PROTECTOR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LDANlEL E. Frrzenn- ALD, acitizen of the United States, residin at Ardmore, in the county ofCarter an State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Clothes- Protectors, of which the following is aspecification.

The seats of public carriers, such as railway cars operated bylocomotives using bituminous coal are usually covered with soot,cinders, dust and the like which tend to soil the clothing of passengersoccupying the same. Particularly is this the case when such seats areupholstered with plush and like material having a nap which tends toretain soot, cinders and the like settling thereon.

The present invention provides simple and effective means for coveringthe seat and thereby preventing the clothing of the passenger frombecoming soiled by contact therewith.

The primary purpose of the invention is the provision of an articlewhich may be conveniently carried and which when placed pi position willnot injure the seat or the p'art to which the protector is fitted,thereby ,1 preventingany objection being urged as to the use of thedevice.

The invention provides an article embodying an apron, a frame forholding the apron extended and a clip for attaching the protector to theseat, the'apron being detachable from the frame to admit of its.laundrying when required and the frame and clip being foldable so thatthe device as a Whole may be reduced to a. small package for convenienceof carrying.

A further purpose of the invention is the provision of novel connectingmeans between the apron and frame whereby these parts may be easily andquickly placed together or separated, the apron being adapted to beformed into a roll for inclosing the frame and clip when the articleisreduced to a compact form.

The invention has also for its object a frame and clip of sectionalforn'iation ineluding joints which have aflimited movement, in onedirection, as when the frame and clip are extended, and which aremoreble in the opposite direction to admit of the parts folding into asmall space,

length and width.

indicated most clearly in Fig.

Specification pf Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 12, 1916 Applicationfiled February 25, 1915. Serial No. 10,557.

With these and other objects in view which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangementand combinations of partswhich will be'hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationis necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,but that changes, alterations and modifications Within the scope of theinvention as claimed may be resorted to when desired.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing theapplication of the invention to a seat such as generally provided inrailway cars. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the frame and clip, theapron being detached and showing the relation of such parts whenextended. Fig. 3 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 2 illustratingtheir relation When folded. Fig. i is. a rear view of the protector, anintermediate por' carrying. Fig. 8 is a. detail view sl'njiwing sectionsof the frame, the parts comprising the Joint being separated,

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescriptionand indicated in all the views of thedrawings by the same referencecharacters.

- The protector comprises an apron 1 which is preferably of textile andmay be of any The bottom edge of the apron is hemmed or otherwisereinforced and provided with tapes or strings 2 which may be wrappedabout the package and formed into a knot for securin the same, as Theupper rod of the apron is made tapering, as indicated at 3, such taperedportion constituting a flap which is adapted to be attached at its freeend to the clip, thereby fixing the position ofthe clip and holding theflap extended. Transversely alining pockets 4 are more clearly the jointformed between the 'loruseilat lii'lOSll'G edges of the apron at thelu::-e oi the Ha 3 and these porlceorare preferably disposed upon therear side of the apr n and are spaced apart a disiaure to ad' mit ol'the frame being easily plared in position or rouun'edf The open end; at,the poohts l la r inward and tluir outer ends are oloaed. therebypreventing movement of the frame when the name i.-; in i'lill'l). .liydisposing the 'ioekem upon the rear side of the apron the latter isadapted to xtend over and conceal the frame and also prevent direetcontact ol. the trame with the head ot the. user. The apron in of awidth u.- insure ample protrrtion and is of a length to extend alongthe. bark. bottom and front of the seat, as indicated most clearly inFig. l. A portion of the apron is tucked into the spare formed in the.back and bottom ot the seat, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1 thereby asaisting. materially in holding the apron in proper position.

The frame. is of sectional formation and comprises a middle member 5 andend menr hers 6. the several members being hingedly ronneoted to admitot' reducing the size ol the frame. to a convenient 'lorm tor rarr rmg.The members 5 and G are hingedlv connected and are. limited in theirmovements in one direction so as: to hold the meml 'iers in aliuemeat.The and members G are adapted to fold upon the inner member 5 and whenextended are limited in th ir outward more-v ment by means at stops 7which overlap the hinged joints. As shown most clearly in hi H themembers 5 and 6 are. formed with matching (yes which are adapted to reeive a pinlle.-one of the members, as ti, having a portion extendedbeyond its extremity to overlap the. hinged joint and engage with themember 5 and limit the unfolding of the member 6. 'lhe. stop 7 ronsists01 a longuewhich forms a part ()1 the. member (5. iVlu-n the. endmomiuirs ii are extended the tongues or stops 7 engage the rear side ofthe middle member 5 and limitthe untoldiug: of the member-a u and holdthe several ummhera in line. The end men'iliers l' are fitted in. the.pockets 4 and are adapted lo be introduced into or removed t'rom suchpork eta by flexing the Frame so as to bring the end members i at anangle to the middle member When placing the Frame in ponim! or removingthe same from the apron. edge. portions ol the. latter are del'le trd toconform to the angle ot the members (1, whereby thehitler may he slippediul-i or removed from the. porlceta.

The clip has the Form ul' a hook nd is pirotally ruunerted to the frameat R to admit. of the elip being tllllllllHU as to aline. with the Framewhen the park are folded. as indicated moat rh-arly in Fig. 3. lhe cli('tllll])ll l'.'v a shanlefl. a hight l0, and a hill embodying sertionsl1 and 1:2. The, aeveral parts are hingedly connected to admit of theclip folding into compact form, as .indicated. in Fig. 3. The abuttingends of the several parts are 'l orlned with matching eyes in which are. titted pintles. The parts 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 are connected insub- .stantially the. same manner as the members of the tran'ie, thatis. the joints are 'l'orn'ied with stops or tongues 13 which (rm-respondin construction, function and operation with the stops 7 of the lramcl'l'lLmlIUIS [5. The. hill portion ot' the clip is constructed so as toflex in both dirertions which is nee-ea sary to admit of the compactFolding of the rlip, hence it is neressary to stilt'en the joint andlimit the swinging movement of the bill portion in an outward direction.This is; :u-complished by means of a lock 1t which is slidable upon one.of the parts, as the element 10. An end portion of the lock 14 projectsso an to overlap the joint formed between the elements 10 and 11 andlimit the outward movement of the part 11. The look 1-1 is slidable uponthe. part 10 and is pre'lerablf retained in place thereon by means oftongues 15 which are bent about opposite. edge portions of the part 10in such a manner as to prevent binding but yet admit of a slidingmovement of the. lock upon the part 10. The shank portion 9 of the clipis pivoted to the middle member 5 of the frame, thereby admitting ofthe. clip being turned into the plane of such "Frame. The outer section12 folds upon the section 11 and when the lock 14 is slid back upon'thepart. 10 the elements wand 11 are adapted to old upon the shank, asindicated in Fig, 3, fte which opposite edge. portions of the apron maybe folded inward and the apron formed into a. roll and made secure, bymeans of the. tapes or strings 2, as indioated in Fig. 7. The. part 10is provided with a stud 16 which is adapted to cooperate \\'ith asocket- 17 provided upon the end ot' the llap 3. The parts 16 and l?eon- Stitllto elenu-nts of a separable. or snap tastening. \Vheu theparts are in operative position, as iudirated in Fig. l. the riip isheld from turning about the. pivot 'l'aatening' F4 by meana ol the llap3 when the. tasteniug member 17 thereof is engaged with the,eoniplemental member lli. such flap serving as: a brace to hold the.clip in lhe required position.

When the. protwztor in unfolded it is retained in plare by engagiugtheriip over thenpper end of the. back ol' the seat, as indieatrd in l iga.l and Ii. the apron being! extended so as to cover the. part ol the.bark, boltom and trout of the seat intended to be om-upied by theperson, thereby preventing the clothing: from becoming soiled by row-l:u-l. with the upbi'ilsleriug \vhirh is usuallv laden with soot.eindurs'. dust and the like. When not in use the protector may bequickly folded into a compact form for convenience of carrying in theocket, satchel or the like, as indicated in F 1g. 7

Having thus described the invention vs hat is claimed as'new isz- Aprotector .of the character set forth com prising err apron havingalined transverse pockets onone face at its opposite edges and near oneend, the face of the apron between the pockets being clear, a foldehleframe having its ends inserted in the pockets, a clip comprising a shank}pivoted to said frame at the center thereof and adapted to extendtoward the adjecen' end of the apron, e bight member hinged to the shankto fold to the same or extend therefrom o er the back of a seat, bightmember, a terminal hill member hinged to the first-mentioned bill memberto fold. between the same and the shank or to extend therefrom andbearugainst the back of a seat, and interengaging means on the apron andbight member to detachn'bly connect the apron to the clip whereby boththe apron and'the elip'will he held extended,- i

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL E. FITZGERALD. Witnesses:

J. C. BARB, C. C. LYNCH.

a bill member hinged to the

